Which Type Of Writing?

[Interapid]

I voted "both," but it's really dependent on the nib. Some pens are a combo of cursive and print. Some are only cursive or copperplate. Stubs are only italic or gothic.

[marcelo]

  On 6/7/2013 at 11:27 PM, 51ISH said:

 

  On 6/7/2013 at 11:11 PM, marcelo said:

 

Good point.

 

The thing is: you learned to write in cursive, like all of us (I assume) did. For some reason, you changed to print and, later, started enjoyed fountain pens. So, the question is not "want", but "need" to write in print with a fountain pen because it's the way you've become used to. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused005.gif

 

What you can do, however, is relearning to write in cursive to better enjoy the experience of using a fountain pen. That's what I'm doing. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-happy112.gif

 

Hi marcelo

 

I think you maybe missed my point my friend.....

 

If 'they' don't like my cursive......I don't care........

 

I never print......and won't....never wrote in 'print' and don't intend to.......

Hi 51ISH! http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-greet013.gif

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I think I got your point. What I wrote was in respect to "Why anyone would want to write in 'print' when writing with a fountain pen ......."

As I tried to argue, it is not a matter of wanting, but needing to, since the one can be writing for 25 years in print, like me, and becoming interested on fountain pens. What he/she will probably do is start writing in print with the fountain pen and follow one of two paths: keep writing only in print or try to relearn cursive.

Edited June 8, 2013 by marcelo

[johnsi02]

Cursive for the most part. Fast, sloppy cursive that only I can read, and that only because I can puzzle it out from context and memory. I get no compliments for the quality of my handwriting.

When I need someone else to read it, I sometimes try to print. And it is only try, the first few words are printed, then I get impatient and am back to cursive by the end of a sentence. If writing a letter I use a medium or broad nib because it forces me to write larger and slows me down. Then it is reasonably legible.

JS

[ISW_Kaputnik]

  On 6/7/2013 at 10:05 PM, 51ISH said:

...Why anyone would want to write in 'print' when writing with a fountain pen .......

I find difficult to comprehend...

 

agree some people (for some strange reason) find this hard to read.....unfortunately.......while I hope I am not arrogant......this is their problem and not mine....

 

OK this does sound arrogant....if you can't read my cursive ....you can't read any......

 

Well, I take it you've never found yourself in a situation like this. You're at work, and the quickest way to give some information to a coworker happens to be by writing it down for him. You use a fountain pen because that's what you have with you. You know that this coworker could not read cursive even if it were the finest copybook model Palmer method script. If you fail to communicate with the coworker, it's a problem for both of you. So you print.

 

I enjoy writing with a fountain pen, and much prefer writing in cursive, which just feels more natural than printing. It's not always possible to have things my own way, though. I can at least try to give my printing a bit more character than it would have with a ballpoint.

Edited June 8, 2013 by ISW_Kaputnik

[Daisy25]

I write cursive because it is so much faster and so much easier. The faster I write though, the more illegible it becomes. I teach at our local university, and I've finally shifted over to grading student papers digitally. They can actually read my comments, and I have permanent copies. It works out better for both of us. The small point assignments I still write on though.

 

What I do see, however, is that nearly all my students print. A good number of them have never been taught cursive and not only can't write it, they have trouble reading it. I think it impacts them when they are taking exams: it just takes more time to print.

[dorothynotgale]

  On 6/7/2013 at 2:29 PM, Strombomboli said:

I want to add that I am more careful with my writing since I have these stub nibs on my TWSBIs. I used to write my big A like a printed one and am now practicing a return to the cursive one. I decided, though, that I will continue with my printed big S and X. So I am mostly working on the A.

To be honest, I find the printed "A" much prettier, and actively avoid using the big floppy cursive capital A even when writing in a cursive style. It's funny how much the appeal of writing styles varies depending on both reader and writer.

[dorothynotgale]

  On 6/7/2013 at 10:05 PM, 51ISH said:

Sorry if this offends.....no really......

Why anyone would want to write in 'print' when writing with a fountain pen .......

I find difficult to comprehend...

 

To my mind at least, the pen was designed / made to write in a cursive style (capillary action etc rather than to print)

 

I agree some people (for some strange reason) find this hard to read.....unfortunately.......while I hope I am not arrogant......this is their problem and not mine....

 

OK this does sound arrogant....if you can't read my cursive ....you can't read any......

 

So.....frankly....I don't care........

 

Now ....that really does sound arrogant.....sorry.......

Personally I find... constant and random ellipses... much harder to read than either print or cursive... sorry if this offends.. no really...

[Sandy Fry]

I am in the same boat as Marcelo. 10 years of having to write in print for my job has made my handwriting really suffer. My attempts at cursive usually turns into a jumbled mess of cursive/print!

 

I voted Number 4.

 

David

[Strombomboli]

  On 6/8/2013 at 6:01 AM, dorothynotgale said:

To be honest, I find the printed "A" much prettier, and actively avoid using the big floppy cursive capital A even when writing in a cursive style.

 

If I was honest as well, I'd have do admit that I also find the prettier, and since I am having a hard time painting these A letters, I am inclined to stay with my printed capital A. The same is true for the capital letters N and M. When I write them correctly, I feel a little bit as if I was writing for children or like a child. I'll have to search in my memory, because it is very possible that I made a conscious decision some day to write these letters printed.

 

And then it's strange to see my handwriting with these "new" letters. As if it wasn't mine.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Strombomboli

[Lyander0012]

I've been writing cursive since the fourth grade in elementary school, years before I got into fountain pens. Then again, getting into FPs has made it easier for me to modify my penmanship, adding little flourishes that would've been hell to do with ballpoints and speeding up my writing in general.

 

P.S.

There are times when I write in print though, specifically when I have to write in all caps (TWSBI's brand name, BMW, AM/PM, etc)— have you any idea how hard it is to read all caps when it's written in cursive?! XD

Edited June 8, 2013 by Lyander0012

[JakobS]

I disagree that fountain pens are only for cursive writing. I would argue the opposite in fact, that fountain pens allow for the creation of numerous scripts, be it print, cursive, italic, and many types of block, or flourished calligraphy better than any ballpoint/ rollerball pen, or pencil. It is completely acceptable to write in print with a fountain pen, and equally enjoyable, because writing with a fountain pen is in the end about putting legible, meaningful words on paper, and being able to create them with a smooth flowing nib in any variety of color. Because of the ease of writing, many handwriting scripts can be approved if practiced with a fountain pen. Of course many people use a fountain pen with one type of handwriting, and thats great, but to state fountain pens are only for cursive handwriting is not so much an arrogant viewpoint as it is a limited one.

Edited June 9, 2013 by JakobS

[marcelo]

  On 6/9/2013 at 3:46 AM, JakobS said:

I disagree that fountain pens are only for cursive writing. I would argue the opposite in fact, that fountain pens allow for the creation of numerous scripts, be it print, cursive, italic, and many types of block, or flourished calligraphy better than any ballpoint/ rollerball pen, or pencil. It is completely acceptable to write in print with a fountain pen, and equally enjoyable, because writing with a fountain pen is in the end about putting legible, meaningful words on paper, and being able to create them with a smooth flowing nib in any variety of color. Because of the ease of writing, many handwriting scripts can be approved if practiced with a fountain pen. Of course many people use a fountain pen with one type of handwriting, and thats great, but to state fountain pens are only for cursive handwriting is not so much an arrogant viewpoint as it is a limited one.

 

Nice, well-elaborated point of view.

[zuerincolour]

  On 6/8/2013 at 5:19 PM, Lyander0012 said:

I've been writing cursive since the fourth grade in elementary school, years before I got into fountain pens. Then again, getting into FPs has made it easier for me to modify my penmanship, adding little flourishes that would've been hell to do with ballpoints and speeding up my writing in general.

 

P.S.

There are times when I write in print though, specifically when I have to write in all caps (TWSBI's brand name, BMW, AM/PM, etc)— have you any idea how hard it is to read all caps when it's written in cursive?! XD

This is my exact story. I've always written in cursive and got into fountain pens later which made writing in cursive a lot more fun and a lot easier. I also only use print for full caps, EXCEPT for the first letter which follows my normal cursive font.

[bluesky]

If writing notes and letters usually cursive in a fine/med nib or medium italic nib.

If writing down directions of any kind, or if I want to emphasize what is being written then print, usually with med/broad or stub.

[saaj]

Well I write cursive, or well my own unique style of it... I have somehow mixed the printing letters and cursive letters.. It looks better than if I tried full cursive, IMO.

Edited June 9, 2013 by saaj

[linearM]

I have always used cursive. My everyday handwriting is Palmer method with few modifications I've added over the years. Both of my parents had very good handwriting and it seemed natural that I should follow their example. Since really getting involved with fountain pens my script styles have broadened. I've added italic styles (enjoy cursive italic nibs) and modified copperplate (flex nibs have become my nib of choice) I've also looked at how writing styles differ in different countries, the script style taught in French schools for example is quite rounded and quite different than the style I was taught. Now I switch cursive styles depending on my mood. I don't know if others shift styles or usually stick with one.

 

Looking at forms that sometimes ask for your signature and then ask that you print below suggests that it is assumed that cursive script is usually illegible. I usually sign my name perfectly legibly and then print my name which is usually quite illegible. For some reason I dislike printed script.

[marcelo]

  On 6/5/2013 at 8:00 PM, marcelo said:

I also believe choice 5 is not getting a single vote, but one never knows. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-confused009.gif

 

I'm glad I said it, because someone chose 5. I'm itching to know what made he/she try changing from cursive to print writing. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-rolleyes003.gif

[pmhudepo]

Cursive, because I like how the ink flow from a fountain pen supports this way of writing. Imagine the word "little": one continuous squiggle, except for the crossing of the letters "t". (And I cross my "t" after writing the rest of the word.)

[marcelo]

  On 6/12/2013 at 10:22 AM, pmhudepo said:

(And I cross my "t" after writing the rest of the word.)

 

The hard but right way.

Edited June 12, 2013 by marcelo

[Jadie]

Fountain pens flow so well that I never want to leave the page...thus, cursive comes naturally when I'm using one.

 

But! The exception is when I have an italic nib in my hands---then it's a sort of italic/cursive-y print that complements the flatter point. Trying to write cursive with an italic nib produces feedback, which I absolutely deplore, so I don't do it often.

 

And when I'm in a rush, I go for the cursive-print method---cursive for my capital letters, print/italic/mix-match of everything for all the rest.